(Above) Athens Housing Authority Executive Director Rick Parker, Sen. Johnny Isakson, and Columbia Residential President and COO Jim Grauley.

At a recent ceremony in Washington, D.C., the Athens Housing Authority and our development partner Columbia Residential were honored with the 2018 Charles L. Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award for the mixed-income, multi-family community, Columbia Brookside. The prestigious honor is only awarded to one development project per state using tax credits to ensure affordable housing. Pictured are AHA Executive Director Rick Parker; Sen. Johnny Isakson; and, Columbia Residential President and COO Jim Grauley.

Columbia Brookside was built at the site of the former Jack R. Wells public housing neighborhood.  The Jack R. Wells neighborhood consisted of 125 dwelling units.  Beginning in 2015, Columbia Brookside was constructed in three phases.  Phase 1 is a senior mid-rise building and Phases 2 and 3 are a mixture of one, two, three, and four-bedroom apartment homes.  In total, Columbia Brookside consists of 370 dwelling units that are a mixture of public housing, subsidized housing, and market rate apartments.  Completed in 2018, Columbia Brookside is leased up and continues to be a transformational part of the surrounding neighborhood.